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Thursday, March 7, 2013

Diversity in the Boardroom: A Content Analysis of Corporate Proxy Disclosures

Aaron Dhir, Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School of
York University

Under recent revisions to U.S. securities law, publicly-traded
firms are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
to report on whether they consider diversity in their board
nomination process. Using qualitative–quantitative content
analysis, Dhir examines the S & P 100’s disclosures under the
first two years of the new SEC rule. He explores how firms
conceptualize and articulate their understanding of “diversity”, a
term left undefined by the SEC (e.g. what meanings, principles,
values, modes of discourse etc. emerge from the narrative data)?
Dhir also empirically map particular thematic occurrences (e.g.
what percentage of firms define diversity with reference to
socio-demographic characteristics, such as gender and race?)
Finally, he considers the regulatory reaction (i.e. how has the SEC
responded to the corporate disclosures and what do its observations
reveal about its approach to diversity and the rule’s
application)?

Lunch will be provided. An RSVP is not required as this is an open
event.